Stockwinners Market Radar for March 09, 2018 - Earnings, Upgrades downgrades, option trades, Best Stock Advisory Service

18:01 EDT Celanese announces acetyl intermediates price increase - Celanese Corporation increase list and off-list selling prices for vinyl acetate monomer to RMB200 per MT in China and $50 per MT in Asia outside of China. The price increases will be effective immediately, or as contracts otherwise allow, and are incremental to any previously announced increases.

17:42 EDT Marcato exits Deckers Outdoor stake

17:34 EDT Broadcom up 6% after WSJ reports Intel possibly weighing bid for company - In after-hours trading, shares of Broadcom are up 6.4% to $270.00.

17:26 EDT ICU Medical to replace Owens & Minor in S&P 400 at open on 3/19

17:21 EDT Dean Foods to replace Nektar in S&P 600 at open on 3/19

17:20 EDT Nektar to replace Chesapeake in S&P 500 at open on 3/19

17:18 EDT Take-Two to replace Signet Jewelers in S&P 500 at open of 3/19

17:03 EDT Varian Medical chosen to equip Mexico treatment centers with radiotherapy system - Varian has been selected by the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social to equip seven treatment centers across Mexico with modern radiotherapy treatment systems, including the country's first Edge system for image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery. Varian and EYMSA, Varian's long-standing distributor in Mexico, will provide the Edge system and six VitalBeam systems, plus a full suite of Varian's treatment planning and oncology information software to manage cancer patient workflow at each of the sites. The companies will complete all installations by December 2018. Four of the new radiotherapy systems will replace much older cobalt systems; three are replacing Varian technology that is 13-15 years old. The new Edge radiosurgery system will enable clinicians to attack tumors noninvasively from outside the body using carefully shaped high-energy X-rays. The VitalBeam systems are a cost-effective solution for offering high-quality, high-throughput radiation therapy, which will enable treatment centers to expand clinical capabilities and serve more patients.

16:52 EDT Hallador Energy announces the passing of its board chairman Victor Stabio - Hallador Energy announces the passing of Victor P. Stabio, age 70, Wednesday night, March 7. Vic served as company CEO from 1991 through 2014 and more recently as the Board Chairman.

16:45 EDT Waste Connections CEO sells 45,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Waste Connections CEO Ronald J. Mittelstaedt disclosed the sale of 45,000 common shares of the company at a price of $73.316 per share.

16:31 EDT Synchronoss receives anticipated letter from Nasdaq over noncompliance - Synchronoss Technologies announced that it has received an anticipated letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of The NASDAQ Stock Market notifying the company of its noncompliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5250c1 because the company has not yet filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. As previously disclosed, the company plans to become current in its SEC filings on or before May 10, 2018.

16:25 EDT Alabama Graphite holders approve acquisition by Westwater Resources - Alabama Graphite is pleased to announce the positive outcome of the securityholder vote at the special meeting of Alabama Graphite securityholders held earlier today. At the meeting, securityholders overwhelmingly approved the plan of arrangement transaction pursuant to which Westwater Resources, Inc will acquire, through a wholly owned subsidiary, all of the issued and outstanding common shares of the corporation.

16:18 EDT CafePress announces another 7% reduction in staff and additional restructuring - CafePress Inc announced changes to its executive leadership team and Board of Directors. The company is undertaking another restructuring initiative and is revising its previously announced estimated reductions in normalized, annual fixed costs and software development spending to $7 million from the previously announced $4 million. The company indicated that this further 7% reduction in headcount is tailored to unify and simplify its organization and improve business performance, profitability, cash flow generation and productivity. The additional restructuring announced today is intended to reduce CafePress' normalized, annual fixed costs and software development spending by an additional $3 million. The company expects to record a restructuring charge as a result of these activities in 2018 of approximately $0.6 million, primarily related to severance costs. In connection with the announcement, Robert D. Barton, the company's Chief Operating Officer, submitted his resignation, deciding to pursue other professional interests. Robert joined the company in May 2016 and led improvements and investments in the company's production workflow and printing platform over the last two years. Additionally, Roger D. Shannon and Laurie Furber submitted their resignations, effective immediately, and will no longer serve as board members. Roger joined the Board of Directors in November 2016 and served as a financial expert on the Audit Committee. Laurie joined the Board of Directors in September 2017 and served on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

16:14 EDT Julian Singer raises stake in CCUR Holdings to 23.8% from 22.2%

16:06 EDT Albemarle receives approval from Chile regulators for lithium output increase - Albemarle announced that as expected, it has received approval from Chile's Economic Development Agency for an increase in the company's lithium quota to sustainably increase Albemarle's lithium production in Chile to as much as 145,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent annually through 2043. As previously announced, this quota increase will be enabled by the company's deployment of innovative technology to extract more lithium without the need for additional brine pumping at the Salar de Atacama.

16:01 EDT Goldman Sachs CEO says exit 'WSJ's announcement...not mine' - Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein tweeted: "It's the @WSJ's announcement...not mine. I feel like Huck Finn listening to his own eulogy." Reference Link

14:47 EDT Viking Global reports 5.5% passive stake in U.S. Steel

14:31 EDT Wynn Resorts CEO says company 'not for sale,' breaking up 'makes no sense' - Asked during an interview with CNBC whether Wynn Resorts is up for sale, CEO Matt Maddox said, "We've had no offers to buy Wynn Resorts. "As a CEO, I have fiduciary duty to entertain anything," he continued. "But what I can tell you is we're not for sale. There's been talks about breaking the company up that also makes no sense. So to pursue strategic alternatives at a time when the narrative is not about the business is a mistake." Maddox also told CNBC he never heard about any alleged sexual misconduct by Steve Wynn before the complaints surfaced, stating, "There was never a complaint that made it to me." Reference Link

14:26 EDT Wynn Resorts CEO says no offers made to buy company - Wynn Resorts CEO said it would be "a mistake" to look to sell the company at this point in time and that no offers have been made to buy the company. Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox made the comments in an interview with CNBC.

13:26 EDT Costco executive VP Rose sells 17,000 common shares - In a regulatory filing, Costco executive vice president Timothy L. Rose disclosed the sale of 17,000 common shares of the company at a price of $185.3322 per share.

13:04 EDT Baker Hughes reports U.S. rig count up 3 to 984 rigs - Baker Hughes reports that the U.S. rig count is up 3 rigs from last week to 984, with oil rigs down 4 to 796, gas rigs up 7 to 188. The U.S. Rig Count is up 216 rigs from last year's count of 768, with oil rigs up 179, gas rigs up 37. The U.S. Offshore Rig Count is down 1 rig to 13 and down 7 rigs from last year's count of 20. The Canada Rig Count is down 29 rigs from last week to 273, with oil rigs down 15 to 196 and gas rigs down 14 to 77. The Canada Rig Count is down 42 rigs from last year's count of 315, with oil rigs up 16 and gas rigs down 58.

12:28 EDT Facebook, MLB announce partnership for exclusive national weekly game package - Major League Baseball and Facebook announced a newly expanded partnership for the 2018 MLB season, which they state is "highlighted by a historic agreement to produce and broadcast one game every week to a global audience on Facebook." This 25-game package of weekly broadcasts will be distributed exclusively on Facebook Watch in the United States via the MLB Live show Page, which the league noted will be its first digital-only national broadcasts. Every game also will be available globally on the show Page, excluding select international markets. "Today's announcement was made after the 30 Major League Clubs unanimously approved the deal," MLB noted in its press release confirming the agreement. Reference Link

12:12 EDT CBS weak amid 'open secret' of Washington Post sexual misconduct story - CNN's Brian Stelter tweeted last night, "It's an open secret within CBS News: @washingtonpost is working on a Charlie Rose followup." As traders passed around Stelter's newsletter from last night, which claimed the Washington Post is finishing up a months-long investigation of CBS News, specifically looking at who knew what when about Charlie Rose's alleged sexual misconduct, shares of CBS moved lower. The stock in midday trading is down 79c, or 1.50%, to $51.96. Stelter, the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources," expects this is "going to be a big story," based on the calls he's received from people who have spoken with the Post reporters.

11:58 EDT Daxor reports 'positive' new reserach highlighting benefit from BVA use - Daxor Corporation exhibited at the 2018 Society for Critical Care Medicine Annual Meeting from February 25-28 in San Antonio, Texas where research was presented highlighting the positive clinical benefits of the use of Daxor's BVA-100 blood volume system for critical care. On February 26 Dr. Stephanie Yan of Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, presented a research study entitled Capillary Albumin Transudation Rate and Outcome in Critically Ill Subjects.. Dr Yan stated in her unique study utilizing the BVA-100 device both that "persistently elevated albumin transudation rate is associated with higher mortality" and "albumin transudation rate, as a point of care assay, is an early clinical tool used to guide treatment and measure response to interventions." The Daxor BVA-100 is the only clinically available test that provides an albumin transudation diagnostic and the opportunity to intervene early for patients in the ICU setting. On February 27 Dr. Colin Doyle also of Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii presented a separate research study entitled Feasibility of Blood Volume Analysis-directed Diuresis in Subjects with Shock Requiring Vasopressors. Dr. Doyle stated that blood volume analysis guided diuresis of patients on vasopressors using the BVA-100 system is "feasible and associated with improvements in both vasopressor requirement and pulmonary function" and the practice has "no clear association with worsened renal function." Reduction in vasopressor use and improvement in pulmonary function are goals for optimal outcomes for ICU patient care.

11:45 EDT Box Office Battle: 'Wrinkle in Time' to finally edge out 'Black Panther' - Disney's (DIS) "A Wrinkle in Time," a science fantasy film based on the novel written by Madeleine L'Engle, is expected to take the top spot at the box office in its debut this weekend, with an expected domesic gross of $40M-$42M. The film is anticipated to gross more than Disney and Marvel's superhero film "Black Panther," which has dominated at the theaters since its release last month and is still expected to take second place this weekend, grossing $38M-$40M domestically. Meanwhile, Aviron Pictures' horror film "The Strangers: Prey at Night" is seen to come in third place at the box office over the weekend, with an estimated domestic gross of $9.5M-$10M, while Fox's (FOX) spy thriller film "Red Sparrow," which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton, is expected to come in fourth and gross about $8.3M. Rounding out the weekend is MGM's action film reboot "Death Wish," starring Bruce Willis, which is estimated to gross $6.9M domestically. Other publicly traded companies in the space include Time Warner (TWX), Comcast (CMCSA), Lionsgate (LGF.A), Sony (SNE), and Viacom (VIA).

11:33 EDT Sempra Energy completes acquisition of majority stake in Oncor - Sempra Energy announced that it has completed its $9.45B acquisition of Energy Future Holdings Corp., including EFH's approximate 80% indirect ownership interest in Oncor Electric Delivery Company. The close of the transaction creates a utility holding company with the largest U.S. customer base, Sempra stated. "The completion of this acquisition - the biggest in our 20-year history - represents an important milestone in the execution of our growth strategy moving forward. We expect the addition of Oncor to diversify our base of U.S. utility earnings and create a broader platform for our expansion in the future," said Sempra CEO Debra Reed.

10:46 EDT The Intersection: Crypto and Wall Street This Week - As bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies get increasing attention from investors, Wall Street and its traditional banks continue to adjust to the shift. Catch up on this week's top stories highlighting the intersection of these old guard and new school areas of finance with this recap compiled by The Fly: 1. SEC SAYS CRYPTO EXCHANGES MUST REGISTER: In a statement on Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said, "Online trading platforms have become a popular way investors can buy and sell digital assets, including coins and tokens offered and sold in so-called Initial Coin Offerings - 'ICOs'. The platforms often claim to give investors the ability to quickly buy and sell digital assets...A number of these platforms provide a mechanism for trading assets that meet the definition of a 'security' under the federal securities laws. If a platform offers trading of digital assets that are securities and operates as an 'exchange,' as defined by the federal securities laws, then the platform must register with the SEC as a national securities exchange or be exempt from registration. The federal regulatory framework governing registered national securities exchanges and exempt markets is designed to protect investors and prevent against fraudulent and manipulative trading practices." 2. BINANCE HACK: On Thursday, popular cryptocurrency exchange Binance, which has $1.77B worth of digital currency on its platform, issued a statement addressing rumors of a hack. The exchange said, "On Mar 7...the VIA/BTC market experienced abnormal trading activity. Our automatic risk management system was triggered, and all withdrawals were halted immediately. This was part of a large scale phishing and stealing attempt. So far: All funds are safe and no funds have been stolen...After a thorough security check by Binance, we resumed withdrawals. Trading functionality was never affected. There are still some users whose accounts where phished by these hackers and their BTC were used to buy VIA or other coins. Unfortunately, those trades did not execute against any of the hackers' accounts as counterpart. As such, we are not in a position to reverse those trades. We again advise all traders to take special precaution to secure their account credentials." 3. JAPAN PUNISHES EXCHANGES: Japan's Financial Services Agency punished seven cryptocurrency exchanges and ordered two, Bit Station and FSHO, to suspend business in order to bolster consumer protection after a $530M theft from Coincheck earlier this year, Reuters reported Thursday. The agency criticized the exchanges, including Coincheck and GMO Coin, for lacking proper internal control systems and ordered them to improve in areas from risk management to preventing criminal use. 4. AUSTRIAN REGULATOR WARNS BANKS: Austrian regulator FMA has said banks should treat cryptocurrency transactions as suspicious until they have been proven otherwise and demand documentation for such transactions, Bloomberg reported Monday. 5. PAYPAL FILES PATENT: Paypal (PYPL) has filed a patent application for an "expedited virtual currency transaction system" signaling the company may be mulling expanding its exposure to the cryptocurrency ecosystem, Bitcoin.com reported Monday. The system, which looks to reduce the latency period between the start of the transaction and its confirmation, is used by creating secondary wallets which include a respective secondary wallet private key, and a transaction is performed using the primary wallet private key to transfer different predefined amounts to each of the secondary wallets. 6. CRYPTO CHATTER: Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff said the likelihood of bitcoin dropping to $100 is greater than that of the cryptocurrency rising to $100,000 a decade from now, CNBC reported Monday. "I think bitcoin will be worth a tiny fraction of what it is now if we're headed out 10 years from now," he said. "Basically, if you take away the possibility of money laundering and tax evasion, its actual uses as a transaction vehicle are very small." CRYPTO STOCK PLAYS: Cryptocurrency revenues have been pointed to as reasons to be bullish on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA) in select research. Overstock (OSTK), DPW Holdings (DPW), Long Blockchain (LBCC), Kodak (KODK), Seven Stars Cloud Group (SSC), Riot Blockchain (RIOT), Longfin (LFIN), Pareteum (TEUM) and Social Reality (SRAX) are other stocks that have been touted, or promoted themselves, as a way to play the crypto theme. PRICE ACTION: As of time of writing, bitcoin dropped roughly 17% this week to $9,010 in U.S. dollars according to CoinDesk. Meanwhile, Long Blockchain fell 4.3%, Riot Blockchain was down 9.4%, Longfin dropped 5.2%, Pareteum rose 21.8%, and Social Reality dropped 33.5% all on a weekly basis. Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) fell about 19.3% this week to $15.11. WANT BITCOIN NEWS ALERTS?: To receive alerts on stories relating to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Fly subscribers can enter "Bitcoin" into the "Add symbols" box of their portfolios.

09:44 EDT Calithera Biosciences falls 13.7% after reporting earnings miss - Shares are down 13.7% to $7.70 per share in morning trading.

09:31 EDT Seattle Genetics completes Cascadian acquisition, getsTucatinib rights - Seattle Genetics announced it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Cascadian Therapeutics. The most advanced program in Cascadian Therapeutics' pipeline is tucatinib, an investigational oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is highly selective for HER2, a growth factor receptor that is overexpressed in multiple cancers, including breast, colorectal, ovarian and gastric. Tucatinib is currently being evaluated in a randomized global pivotal trial called HER2CLIMB for patients with HER2-positiv metastatic breast cancer, including patients with or without brain metastases. "This acquisition expands Seattle Genetics' late-stage pipeline, providing another opportunity to bring a targeted therapy to cancer patients with a significant unmet medical need, and advances our goal of becoming a global, multi-product oncology company," said Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at Seattle Genetics. "Tucatinib, which is in an ongoing pivotal trial called HER2CLIMB, has the potential to provide a differentiated approach to treating HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer based on its activity and tolerability profile. In addition, it may have a role in earlier lines of metastatic breast cancer therapy and in other solid tumors. We look forward to joining efforts with the Cascadian team towards our common goal of improving outcomes for people with cancer." The acquisition of Cascadian Therapeutics was structured as a merger under Section 251(h) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware following the successful completion of Seattle Genetics' previously announced tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Cascadian Therapeutics for $10.00 per share in cash, without interest, less any applicable withholding taxes. As a result of the merger, all remaining Cascadian Therapeutics common shares were converted into the right to receive $10.00 per share in cash, without interest, less any applicable

09:10 EDT Activision Blizzard says Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on various platforms - "Fans asked, and Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (ATVI) answered by bringing the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy to all major gaming platforms. Already available on PlayStation 4 (SNE), Crash fans worldwide can experience the beloved '90s videogame icon like never before when everyone's favorite marsupial arrives on Nintendo (NTDOY) Switch , Xbox One (MSFT)and Steam on July 10. The arrival of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on new platforms this summer marks the first time that the original three games - Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped - will be playable on Nintendo, Xbox and PC. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is available now for pre-orders on all new platforms," said Activision.

09:09 EDT Aurora Cannabis reports 'success' in bid for CanniMed through take-up of shares - CanniMed Therapeutics is advised that Aurora Cannabis has been successful in its offer for all issued and outstanding common shares of the company. The number of CanniMed common shares tendered as at the close of business on March 8 totals 17,847,341, representing approximately 70.66% of the total outstanding CanniMed Shares on a fully diluted basis. All of the conditions to the Offer having been met, Aurora will take up the tendered CanniMed Shares and pay for those shares as soon as possible, and in any event not later than 3 business days after the CanniMed Shares are taken up. Aurora will issue a total of approximately 50.6 million Aurora common shares and pay a total of approximately $98M in cash for the CanniMed Shares tendered as of March 8. In addition, pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws requiring Aurora to extend its Offer, Aurora has extended the period shareholders of CanniMed have to tender their shares under the Offer by 15 days to 11.59 pm March 25. Aurora has provided notice of the extension to Laurel Hill Advisory Group effective March 9.

09:05 EDT Magellan Midstream weighs expansion of western leg of Texas pipeline system - Magellan Midstream Partners announced that it is considering an expansion of the western leg of its refined products pipeline system in Texas and has launched an open season to assess customer interest. Interested customers must submit binding commitments by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on May 9, 2018. The proposed expansion would increase Magellan's capability to transport refined petroleum products, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, from Gulf Coast refineries to demand centers in Abilene, Midland/Odessa and El Paso, Texas, with further optionality to access markets in the states of New Mexico and Arizona, as well as international markets in Mexico via connections to other pipelines owned by Magellan and third parties. The pipeline's current capacity of 100,000 barrels per day could increase to 140,000 bpd following the expansion. Subject to the results of this open season and receipt of all necessary permits and approvals, the expanded capacity could be operational by mid-2020.

08:54 EDT On The Fly: Pre-market Movers - UP AFTER EARNINGS: ChemoCentryx (CCXI), up 9.7%... Party City (PRTY), up 3.1%. LOWER: Big Lots (BIG), down 10.4% after reporting quarterly results... Insys Therapeutics (INSY), down 11.3% after being downgraded to Underweight from Neutral at Piper Jaffray.

08:48 EDT Calgon Carbon trading halted, news dissemination

08:30 EDT Old Dominion announces Greg Gantt to succeed David Congdon as CEO, board changes - Old Dominion announced that its board, as part of its designed succession plan, has approved strategic leadership changes that provide continuity for both its executive leadership team and the company's long-term strategy. Effective May 16, Greg Gantt has been elected to serve as the company's CEO succeeding David Congdon, who has served as CEO since January 2008 and vice chairman of the board since May 2015. Gantt, who will also retain his current title of president, originally joined the company as a regional VP in 1994 and has assumed ever-increasing roles and responsibilities over the past 24 years. Also effective May 16, David Congdon will become executive chairman of the board, succeeding current executive chairman Earl Congdon, who will transition to the role of senior executive chairman on the same date. Earl Congdon and David Congdon will both remain executive officers of the company.

08:26 EDT Old Dominion says Greg Gantt to become CEO, David Congdon Executive Chairman

08:11 EDT Gentex approves additional share repurchase program - A new Board of Directors approved share repurchase authorization of 20M shares is in addition to those shares previously authorized for repurchase. The Company may vary from the targeted level of share repurchases in the current year depending on macroeconomic issues, overall market trends, and the anti-dilutive impact of share repurchases, along with other factors that the Company deems appropriate.

08:09 EDT Aradigm submits MAA for Linhaliq for non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis patients - Aradigm announced it has submitted its marketing authorisation application, or MAA to European Medicines Agency, or EMA, for Linhaliq for the treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis patients with chronic lung infection with pseudomonas aeruginosa. In accordance with article 8 and Annex I, Part II.7 of Directive 2001/83/EC, Aradigm is submitting a mixed MAA for Linhaliq that is based on the positive Phase 3 pivotal clinical trial ARD-3150-1202 and supporting evidence from Phase 3 study ARD-3150-1201 and Phase 2b study ARD-3150-0902, together with other supporting evidence from proprietary preclinical and clinical studies, as well as referencing additional information about ciprofloxacin from publicly available sources. The EMA has a 21-day validation review period to determine whether the MAA is complete before starting the procedure.

08:06 EDT Salesforce and Dropbox form strategic partnership - Dropbox and Salesforce announced a strategic partnership to connect Salesforce's CRM platform with Dropbox's collaboration platform, enabling companies of all types and sizes to collaborate and more deeply connect with their customers across sales, service, marketing, commerce, and more. The companies will initially deliver two new integrations to drive brand engagement and boost team productivity: commerce cloud and marketing cloud + Dropbox. Create branded, customized Dropbox folders within Salesforce commerce cloud and marketing cloud with the new digital asset engagement solution. In addition to these new integrations, Salesforce will use Dropbox enterprise and Dropbox will significantly extend its use of Salesforce products including Salesforce service cloud, marketing cloud and PRM across its business. expanding partnership with continued focus on customer success.

08:03 EDT Aclaris Therapeutics announces issuance of U.S. patent for JAK inhibitor - Aclaris Therapeutics announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 9,895,301, which is directed to methods related to the use and administration of a certain janus kinase inhibitor for treating hair loss disorders. U.S. Patent No. 9,895,301 covers the use of tofacitinib for inducing hair growth and for treating hair loss disorders such as alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia, otherwise known as male/female pattern hair loss. Additional issued claims pertain to methods of using tofacitinib to treat particular phenotypes of alopecia areata, as well as to treat other hair loss disorders. The '301 Patent contains 67 claims and expires in November 2031. This newly allowed patent is owned by The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and exclusively licensed to Aclaris and is the latest U.S. patent to issue in connection with Aclaris' JAK drug development program for hair loss disorders.

07:38 EDT FMC Corporation names Andrew Sandifer as CFO, effective May 15 - Andrew Sandifer, FMC vice president and treasurer, has been appointed CFO and treasurer for FMC Corporation (FMC), effective May 15. Sandifer is a 25-year industry veteran with extensive experience in strategic planning, investor relations, treasury, M&A and commercial management. Prior to joining FMC in 2010, he held various business and finance leadership roles at Aramark (ARMK), The Dow Chemical Company (DWDP), Rohm and Haas Company and the Boston Consulting Group.

07:33 EDT Qualcomm extends cash offer for NXP Semiconductors to March 16 - Qualcomm (QCOM) announced that Qualcomm River Holdings B.V., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, has extended the offering period of its previously announced cash tender offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares of NXP Semiconductors (NXPI). The tender offer is being made pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 27, 2016, by and between Qualcomm River Holdings B.V. and NXP, as amended. The tender offer is now scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 16, 2018, unless extended or earlier terminated, in either case pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement.

07:16 EDT Allscripts retains entirety of current Sunrise client base in Singapore - Allscripts Healthcare Solutions disclosed yesterday morning an update in response to "certain inaccurate information introduced into the market on March 7, 2018, regarding Allscripts business in Singapore." The Singapore Ministry of Health and Integrated Health Information System recently conducted a solicitation to implement a country-wide, single EMR vendor solution, the company said. Allscripts participated in the solicitation. "After a more than 18-month review, IHIS's decision at this time is not to adopt a single country-wide EMR. Instead, the current go-forward strategy will be for Singapore to focus on two EMR solutions across Singapore's healthcare clusters. This decision means that Allscripts retains the entirety of its current Sunrise client base in Singapore, including the Ministry of Defense, Singapore Health Services, Parkway Health and Mt. Alvernia Hospital Groups - a share that represents roughly 54% of the country's public and approximately 70% of the country's private hospital beds. Allscripts will also expand its footprint later in 2018, implementing Allscripts Sunrise at the 1,400-bed SengKang General and Community Hospitals system," Allscripts explained.

07:15 EDT Voyager Therapeutics announces longer-term data from Phase 1B trial of VY-AADC - Voyager Therapeutics announced longer-term data from its ongoing dose-ranging Phase 1b trial of VY-AADC in advanced Parkinson's disease. The results continue to demonstrate durable, dose-dependent and time-dependent improvements across multiple measures of patients' motor function after a one-time administration of the gene therapy. These measures include patient-reported diaries, Parkinson's disease rating scales, and quality of life, with diary on-time without troublesome dyskinesia at twelve months as the proposed primary endpoint of the planned pivotal program. The update of results from the ongoing Phase 1b trial of VY-AADC include a durable 2.1-hour improvement in patient-reported diary on-time without troublesome dyskinesia from baseline to three years for patients in Cohort 1, a durable and clinically meaningful 3.5-hour improvement from baseline to 18 months in Cohort 2, and an improvement from baseline to six months of 1.5 hours that plateaued from six to 12 months in Cohort 3. Today's interim results include data from all 15 patients treated in Cohorts 1, 2 and 3 including data from patients in Cohort 1 at three years, Cohort 2 at 18 months and Cohort 3 at one year. Patients enrolled in Cohort 3 received similar infusion volumes of VY-AADC delivered with the transfrontal, or top of the head, approach compared to Cohort 2, but three-fold higher vector genome concentrations. This volume and concentration for Cohort 3 represents up to a three-fold higher total dose of up to 4.51012 vg of VY-AADC compared to patients in Cohort 2 who received a total dose of up to 1.5 1012 vg. Patients in Cohort 1 received lower volumes and lower vector genome concentrations for a total dose of up to 7.51011 vg. Treatment with VY-AADC resulted in a durable 2.1-hour improvement in patient-reported diary on-time without troublesome dyskinesia from baseline to three years for patients in Cohort 1, a durable and clinically meaningful 3.5-hour improvement from baseline to 18 months in Cohort 2, and an improvement from baseline to six months of 1.5 hours that plateaued from six to 12 months in Cohort 3. Cohort 3 patients had higher levels of severe dyskinesia at baseline than patients in Cohorts 1 and 2. This, coupled with treatment with a higher dose of VY-AADC, resulted in patients in Cohort 3 reducing their LEDs to a greater extent than patients in Cohorts 1 and 2 and may have resulted in less robust control of motor function as measured by on-time without troublesome dyskinesia compared to Cohort 2 by 12 months. Voyager intends to apply these learnings to the protocols for the pivotal Phase 2-3 program. VY-AADC also generated durable improvements in this trial in other measures of motor function including decreases in both diary off-time and diary on-time with troublesome dyskinesia and increases in both diary on-time without dyskinesia and diary on-time with non-troublesome dyskinesia. In Cohort 2 at 18 months, patients had a mean increase of 5.1 hours a day of on-time without any dyskinesia and experienced 65% less off-time. In addition to motor function, VY-AADC improved patients' quality of life as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part II activities of daily living section and the patient-reported 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire, demonstrating dose-dependent and clinically meaningful improvements in these scores. For PDQ-39, VY-AADC improved patients' score by a mean change from baseline to 12 months of -8.4 and -9.1 for Cohorts 2 and 3, respectively. Infusions of VY-AADC have been well-tolerated in all fifteen patients treated in these Cohorts with no vector-related serious adverse events. Fourteen of the 15 patients were discharged from the hospital within two days following surgery. As previously reported, one patient experienced two SAEs: a pulmonary embolism or blood clot in the lungs, and related heart arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. The patient was treated with an anti-coagulant and symptoms associated with the SAEs have completely resolved. Investigators determined that this was most likely related to immobility during the administration and subsequent formation of a blood clot, or deep vein thrombosis, in the lower extremity. Consequently, DVT prophylaxis was added to the protocol and no subsequent events have been observed.

07:07 EDT CTI BioPharma: Phase 3 PERSIST-2 data published in JAMA Oncology - CTI BioPharma announced that results from the Phase 3 PERSIST-2 clinical trial of pacritinib have been published online in JAMA Oncology. The randomized, international, multicenter study compared the efficacy and safety of pacritinib at two dose levels, compared with best available therapy, which included ruxolitinib in patients with myelofibrosis and thrombocytopenia. In the intent-to-treat patient population of the study, the combined pacritinib arms demonstrated a significant improvement of 35% or more in spleen volume reduction at 24 weeks of treatment in 27 patients compared to 2 patients out of 72 patients in the BAT arm, which included treatment with ruxolitinib. The combined pacritinib treatment arms also demonstrated a greater than 50% reduction in total symptom score in 37 patients, compared to 10 patients in the BAT arm. Additionally, an exploratory analysis of the 74 patients who received pacritinib 200mg twice daily showed an improvement of 35% or more reduction of SVR in 16 patients and 50% or greater reduction of TSS in 24 patients. Pacritinib was generally well tolerated. The most commonly reported nonhematologic adverse events with pacritinib were gastrointestinal events, fatigue, peripheral edema, and dizziness, and those with BAT were abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, and peripheral edema. The majority of common nonhematologic adverse events were grade 1 or 2 in severity. Diarrhea was the most frequently observed adverse event with pacritinib most often occurring during weeks 1 to 8. The incidence of diarrhea was lower with pacritinib twice daily dosing compared to once daily dosing. Diarrhea was manageable with standard antidiarrheal agents and generally resolved within 1 to 2 weeks. The rate of on-study death was lowest with pacritinib twice daily compared to BAT and pacritinib once daily. Cardiac events were reported at similar rates in all arms and were most commonly peripheral edema in all arms. Grade 3 or 4 cardiac events were reported in 13 patients treated with pacritinib once daily, 7 patients treated with pacritinib twice daily, and 9 patients treated with BAT. Bleeding events were reported at similar rates in all arms and were most commonly epistaxis in all arms. Grade 3 or 4 bleeding events were reported in 7 patients, 15 patients, and 7 patients treated with pacritinib once daily, twice daily, and BAT, respectively.

07:04 EDT Broadcom pledges cooperation with U.S., sees making U.S. 'global leader' in 5G - Broadcom Limited (AVGO) released an open letter to Members of Congress regarding its offer to acquire Qualcomm (QCOM), stating in part: "We appreciate your interest in our offer to acquire Qualcomm Incorporated and would like to take this opportunity to respectfully address a number of issues with regard to this transaction and its potential impact. Much of the recent communication about our acquisition has centered on concerns about the future development of 5G technology. To make it clear that we are steadfast in our support of 5G development, I recently made this public pledge: Broadcom is committed to making the United States the global leader in 5G. Any notion that a combined Broadcom-Qualcomm would slash funding or cede leadership in 5G is completely unfounded. We have a proven track record of investing in and growing core franchises in the companies we acquire. In the case of Qualcomm, this will be 5G cellular. We are fully committed to making the United States the global leader in 5G by focusing resources and strengthening leadership in this area. We also will work closely with the United States government as we drive to achieve and sustain this global leadership in 5G and beyond. Consistent with that commitment, Broadcom is also pledging to create a new $1.5 billion fund with a focus on innovation to train and educate the next generation of RF engineers in the United States. This will ensure America's continued leadership in future wireless technology. In addition, Broadcom will not sell any critical national security assets to any foreign companies. Of course, any dispositions of assets to foreign buyers would be themselves subject to CFIUS review...Second, I want to make it clear that Broadcom is today in every important respect an American company. We are built on the roots of several innovative and leading United States technology companies including Hewlett-Packard, AT&T, Broadcom Corporation and Brocade Communications Systems. Broadcom is led by an executive team of American citizens and a Board of Directors made up of nearly all American citizens...The bottom line is that a combined, American Broadcom-Qualcomm will be a more focused and stronger champion for sustained United States leadership in 5G than a standalone Qualcomm, an outcome that strongly supports America's national security interests."

07:02 EDT Danaher to acquire Integrated DNA Technologies, terms not disclosed - Danaher Corporation and Integrated DNA Technologies announced that Danaher has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire IDT, a privately-held provider of high-value consumables for genomics applications in molecular biology, qPCR, next generation sequencing, synthetic biology, gene editing and molecular diagnostics. IDT's primary business is the manufacturing of high-quality, custom DNA and RNA oligonucleotides serving customers in the academic and biopharmaceutical research, biotechnology, agriculture, clinical diagnostics, and pharmaceutical development end markets. Founded in 1987 by Joseph Walder, MD, PhD, IDT has grown to become a leader in its served markets with more than 1,200 employees and over 100,000 customers worldwide. IDT will operate as a standalone operating company and brand within Danaher's Life Sciences platform. The transaction, which is expected to close mid-year 2018, is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

07:00 EDT Dana agrees to combine with Driveline division of GKN

06:51 EDT Wabco appoints Roberto Fioroni CFO - WABCO Holdings announced that it has appointed Roberto Fioroni CFO starting by June 6. Roberto Fioroni brings to WABCO over 20 years of financial management experience with two leading multinationals, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and General Electric. In addition to having gained M&A experience, he has held a wide range of finance leadership positions with responsibility across Africa, Europe, North America and the Middle East. Most recently, he was Vice President, Finance, for Goodyear's Europe, Middle East and Africa business unit. Prior to joining Goodyear in 2009, Fioroni held a number of senior positions during a 13-year career with General Electric. He was latterly Chief Financial Officerfor General Electric's Security Division. Fioroni holds a degree in Business Administration from the Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy.

06:33 EDT Sanchez Midstream reports Q4 adjusted EBITDA $21.4M, up 21% sequentially

06:11 EDT City Office REIT sells Idaho plaza property for $86.5M - City Office REIT announced that it has completed the sale of its Washington Group Plaza property in Boise, Idaho for a gross sale price of $86.5M before customary closing and transaction costs. Proceeds from the sale will be used to repay approximately $32.1M of mortgage debt and for general working capital purposes, including repayment of amounts outstanding under the company's secured credit facility and potential future property acquisitions. The company structured the transaction as a part of a reverse like-kind exchange under Section 1031 of the internal revenue code, as amended.

06:09 EDT Kobe Steel confirms machinery chief Mitsugu Yamaguchi will be next president - At the Board of Directors meeting held on March 5, Chairman, President, CEO and Representative Director Hiroya Kawasaki decided to resign on April 1. Consequently, the Board of Directors at the board meeting held adopted a resolution for the successor to the president, naming machinery chief Mitsugu Yamaguchi as the company's new president. Under a new structure in the coming future, Kobe Steel intends to fulfill its responsibilities with regard to the series of misconduct, along with restoring the trust of everyone as quickly as possible. Kobe Steel will move forward with fundamental reforms to the organization and its corporate culture.

06:07 EDT Big Lots announces $100M share repurchase agreement - On March 7, 2018, the Big Lots board approved a share repurchase program providing for the repurchase of up to $100M of our common shares. The $100M authorization is expected to be utilized to repurchase shares in the open market and/or in privately negotiated transactions at our discretion, subject to market conditions and other factors. The 2018 Share Repurchase Program is eligible to begin on March 12, 2018 and will continue until exhausted.

05:46 EDT Big Lots raises quarterly dividend by 20% to 30c per share - Big Lots announced on March 7, the board increased the company's quarterly dividend payment rate by approximately 20%, declaring a quarterly cash dividend of 30c per common share for Q1. The dividend will be paid on April 6, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 23.

05:26 EDT Platinum Group: JOGMEC signed MOU to transfer part of interest in Waterberg PGM - Platinum Group Metals announced that on March 8, Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, or JOGMEC, and Hanwa signed a memorandum of understanding to transfer part of JOGMEC's interest in the Waterberg Palladium, Platinum, Gold, Rhodium, or PGM, and Copper, Nickel Project, located in the Bushveld Complex of the Republic of South Africa. The agreement is based on the result of a public tender held on February 23, 2018. The winner of the bidding was Hanwa, and JOGMEC will now start negotiation on the terms of the transfer with Hanwa. With a successful negotiation, Hanwa will secure the right to a supply of refined platinum group metals for exhaust emission catalytic converters, fuel cells for cars, and nickel and other metals for rechargeable batteries. This transaction will enable a potential significant stable supply of metals to Japanese industries. Hanwa is a leading global trading company headquartered in Tokyo Japan with over 3,000 employees and operations spanning steel, non-ferrous metals, metals and alloys, food, petroleum, chemicals, machinery, lumber and many other business sectors. Impala Platinum Holdings recently paid $30M for a 15% interest in the Waterberg Project including a right of first refusal for concentrate offtake. Implats also acquired an option for a $166M acquisition and development commitment to earn a 50.01% controlling interest upon completion of the Definitive Feasibility Study, or DFS. Platinum Group holds a 50.02% direct and indirect interest. The Waterberg DFS is expected to be completed in calendar H1 2019. JOGMEC currently holds a 21.95% interest in the Waterberg Project and is planning to transfer a 9.755% interest to Hanwa. Upon completion of the transfer Hanwa will also acquire JOGMEC's right of first refusal to certain metal produced by Implats from the Waterberg Project.